Homecoming From Afghanistan

The first roll-on, roll-off (RORO) ship carrying 2,000 tons of Bundeswehr material, including 127 vehicles, withdrawn from Afghanistan arrived in the German port of Emden over the weekend.

Photo: Bundeswehr/Oliver Arning

The equipment was airlifted from Mazar-e-Sharif to the Turkish Black Sea port of Trabzon, where it was loaded onto a leased Danish RORO vessel for the sea journey to Germany. On the way, the RORO ship offloaded 60 Belgian, Dutch and Norwegian vehicles in the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.

The Bundeswehr has produced a video showing vehicles being offloaded in Emden, some bearing the scars of their deployment to Afghanistan. In the video, an unnamed German logistician describes the withdrawal from Afghanistan as the Bundeswehr's greatest logistical challenge so far.

After cleaning by a private company, the equipment will be railed back to its units for training purposes or for preparation for future deployments.

The next RORO ship carrying equipment from Trabzon is foreseen to arrive in Emden in October.